City of Vaughan is embarking on a sign bylaw review project with the aim of improving sign regulation in the City.  The Vaughan Sign Industry, businesses and residents are invited to share their comments by attending a consultation or contacting Carol Ramchuram, prior to July 14, 2017, at carol.ramchuram@vaughan.ca or (905) 832-2281 extension 8783.

The first party sign industry is invited to a consultation on Thursday, July 13, 2017 from 10am to 12pm at Vaughan City Hall, 2141 Major Mackenzie Drive, Room 242

In essence, City of Vaughan’s planning department is looking for our members’ input on what works and what doesn’t work with the current sign bylaw as well as the sign permit application process.

The goal of the review is to develop a consolidated by-law which:

  • optimally protects, preserves and promotes the safety of residents by ensuring that placement and use of signs do not create a hazard for motorists and pedestrians;
  • requires signs to be well maintained and in keeping with community standards;
  • ensures that the number and types of signs allowed serve the needs of businesses and the community, while not adversely affecting the livability and attractiveness of the City of Vaughan;
  • is user-friendly, easy to understand and increases voluntary compliance; and
  • makes optimal use of technology and provides value for money for the City and taxpayers.

The review will take place in several phases, aiming to implement straightforward improvements as quickly as possible, while ensuring complex changes are given the necessary time and resources to be completed to a high standard.  Key milestones of the review are to:

  • engage stakeholders and perform research to identify issues, opportunities and options in the summer of 2017;
  • report to Council in autumn of 2017 with recommendations for short-term solutions that can be implemented by mid-2018, as well as to identify long-term solutions, which require further exploration and planning, such as inter-agency collaboration, data sharing and business process improvements; and
  • report to Council in spring of 2018 with recommendations for long-term solutions.

For more information on the bylaw review plan, please see City of Vaughan’s website.

If you would like, you can also forward your comments to SAC Government Relations Director Karin Eaton at karin@sac-ace.ca and she will consolidate everyone’s input into one letter.  This will be a great chance for our industry to get involved right at the get go and ensure that we see real improvements.